Naked Gun: The new Bajaj Pulsar 200NS

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Pulsars generally warrant attention. Whether for the right reasons or not is entirely debatable, of course, but there’s no getting away from the ‘mass-cult’ status that these motorcycles harness rather easily.

Which is why most petrol nuts supposedly ‘working’ would have waited for the clock to strike four this afternoon with rather uncivilized anticipation. All for an initial glimpse of possibly one of the most important two-wheeler reveals of the year, the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS.

Upon first glance, the 200 Naked Sports did raise eyebrows a couple of inches, as they should have, considering the mammoth buildup to this launch.

This new Pulsar’s lines are sharp and fresh, yet serious enough to thankfully escape the design trap of pretty-part-this and shiny-bit-that. Matte black surfaces abound with tastefully brushed finishing of exposed steel bits. That fit really well, or so it seems, since overall quality looks to be of a rather decent order. No doubt the KTM collaboration has paid dividends in this respect.

Which brings up a very important question. Is this just a rehashed Duke, or an entirely different motorcycle? The answer to that is yes and no. Mechanicals-wise, the Pulsar is the slightly tamer offspring, but most components of the 200cc engine and transmission are identical to the Duke’s, minus the important absence of fuel injection.

Cost-cutting sees the old school carburetor making a comeback. However, as far as styling goes, it is safe to say that Bajaj have been quite successful in creating a stunner that fortunately has plenty of differentiation from its Austrian counterpart’s first offering.

However, as my rather devilishly-analytical bike enthusiast buddies pointed out today, the 200NS does share a dose of resemblance to a product from the Italian side of our revolving ball, the Benelli TNT.

Now whether it was ‘inspired’ or plain coincidence we probably will never know. A side-by-side pictorial comparison will tend to expose some links in overall design, especially the overall stance of the bike and the manner in which the tank-side fins merge into the comparable quarter panels. Maybe that’s being overly nitpicky, but hey, at least Bajaj were inspired by the right gene pool.

But what’s of prime importance is that Madame Naked Sports is quick. Acceleration to the century mark is rather nonchalantly delivered in a company-claimed 9.8 seconds, which should impress even the most hard-to-please Mania-Cs. What’s not going to be too well received is first-name basis by which owners will get to know their local fuel attendant.

A rather minuscule 12-litre petrol tank is going to diminish range by a fair margin, since we all know that it is going to be impossible to attain the ARAI-economy rating of 58kpl. A 200NS is not going to be ridden all day at 50kph, so don’t be fooled.

In a bolt-and-nut-shell, the new Pulsar has huge potential to sell. Impressively well one would think, because as we’ve grown to know, Bajaj have announced 'performance' and 'value' in the same breath yet again.

The company promises to keep the damage for the 200NS under a lakh of rupees, so it’s relatively easy to 'bottom line' this impressive motorcycle with 'best-in-stable' for now.

Hats off, Bajaj.